1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to optical communication and data transfer in and around computing systems, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), VCSEL array chips, VCSEL packaging, and thermal management of one or more VCSEL array chips.
2. Background Information
Data transmission and communication using optical-based technologies offers advantages over standard electrical conductor-based systems, such as higher rates of data transmission. For high rates of data transmission, data is encoded using one or more wavelengths of light, which can then be multiplexed together, sent to an input device, demultiplexed, and detected at a photodetector. Optical data transmission is useful, for example, inside and around personal computers, servers, supercomputers, and data centers as well as longer-range data transmission and communication activities. In optical data transmission applications between the components of a computing system, the components of the optical transmission system can be packaged for integration with IC (integrated circuit) chips, for example. As semiconductor chips trend toward higher performance and users desire smaller form factors, the packaging of the computing components must meet size, thermal management, power delivery, interconnect density, and integration challenges.